Nightlife

It is being advertised as the gay dance festival of the year. There are a lot of parties scheduled in Central Florida during the first weeks of summer, but One Magical Weekend intends to be the best.

Billy Looper, Executive Director for One Magical Weekend, said the 25th anniversary of gays gathering at Walt Disney World Resorts is a time to pause and reflect.

“So the controversy is always with a select few who want to be visible, but it’s getting less and less and Disney and every other corporate sponsor is getting better and better to work with,” Looper said.

The controversy stemmed from LGBT people arriving in Orlando en mass and celebrating with an outing to the Magic Kingdom where they identified themselves by wearing red colored clothing. The fact that Disney refused to condemn the event prompted a boycott of the theme parks by the Southern Baptist Convention.

As recently as 2013, the Florida Family Association paid for an airplane to fly over Walt Disney World displaying a banner reading, “Warning: Gay Day at Disney 6/1.” A duplicate message was flown in Spanish as well.

Traditionally held the first weekend of June, One Magical Weekend features nine parties and 16 DJs. Host hotel is the B Ocean Resort with Friday’s action taking place at Typhoon Lagoon Waterpark. Saturday’s party moves to Epcot.

To register for tickets or for more information, visit OneMagicalWeekend.com

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